Monday, December 2, 2013

Join the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) on November 3rd "National Giving Day" in supporting the NAFSA Rainbow SIG Scholarship in providing a scholarship to a LGBTQ student to study abroad during the 2014-2015 academic year.

The Rainbow Scholarship is awarded to a deserving LGBTQ undergraduate currently enrolled at a US university of college to study abroad on the program of their choice. The FEA administers the scholarship and works in conjunction with the Rainbow SIG to raise awareness and funds for the scholarship.Goal: $5,000 (up to $2,500 raised, with $2,500 match). All donations made will be matched, up to $2500, by the generous support of NEA® Member Benefits.

**Please make note that this event takes place in PST, not EST. For your donation to qualify for matching, it must be made between 12:01 am PST and 11:59 pm PST.

Monday, October 14, 2013

This year I joined the Board of the Fund for Education Abroad (a more in depth post on FEA forthcoming!) and I wanted to post about their upcoming annual receiption in Washington, DC this Wednesday, October 16th. I had plans to attend but in the end my work schedule conflicted and I am forced to miss.

If your schedule permits I encourage you to attend this upcoming networking and fundraising event in support of FEA's common mission: to promote, support and increase opportunities for US college students to study abroad. On Wednesday, October 16 from 6:00-8:00pm, FEA will host its Fourth Annual FEA Reception at the Fathom Gallery on trendy 14th St NW in Washington, DC (1333 Fourteenth Street, NW).

FEA hopes you will join them for a night of networking, great speakers, drinks and delicious food. Tickets are $100. Young Professional tickets are $45 (age 30 and under). All proceeds will benefit FEA and our life-changing scholarships.

Hear more about the importance of increasing access to study abroad from our featured speakers: Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin (D), District 20, Senate Majority Whip, who has been a strong supporter of international exchange and education, as well as, Hector Santiago, an FEA Scholarship recipient from 2012-2013.

The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to increase the number and diversity of US undergraduates studying abroad. FEA is an independent organization that gives semester and year-long scholarships for underrepresented students to attend the study abroad program of their choice. For more information about FEA, please visit www.fundforeducationabroad.org.

Explorers are students with high financial resources and low academic preparedness. They are the most likely to need assistance during the application, as 39% of them chose application requirements as one of their most sought-after areas of information.

Highfliers are students with high financial resources and high academic preparedness, and family support is key to their financial independence. 69% of survey respondents indicated family or friends as their main source of funding.

Strivers are students with low financial resources and high academic preparedness. 61% of Strivers indicated that they rely on institutional financial aid, and 35% said they will take out loans to finance their studies.

Strugglers are students with low financial resources and low academic preparedness. Strugglers are the least interested in learning about the reputation of a school, indicating that they have lower expectations for quality.

These insights are integral for U.S. universities and colleges that want to effectively attract and enroll the best fit international students. The report expands the scope of last year’s report and provides a deeper understanding of international student segments at a more granular level. The report highlights differences in prospective international students’ information seeking behavior by level of education — bachelor’s and master’s degree — and key source countries — China, India and Saudi Arabia.

You can access more information about the report via the WES World Education News & Reviews (WENR) website and while you are there you may want to take 20 seconds and subscribe to the free WENR Newsletter as it's well worth it!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Are you a graduate student in international education interested in presenting your research? If yes, I was wondering if you would be interested in presenting your research at 2014 NAFSA national conference in San Diego. The name of the session will be “Graduate Student Research” where students will present their research and then the audience will be giving feedback. Presentation will be 5-7 minutes long. We will have a Skype talk to discuss the details of this panel before submitting the proposal. This can be a wonderful opportunity to present at national conference and receive feedback from professionals in the field.

If you know other people who would be interested, send me their names and contact information.

The deadline for NAFSA 2014 conference is August 1st. Please contact me as soon as possible if you are interested.

Comp, David J., “The National Security Education Program and Its Service Requirement: An Exploratory Study of What Areas of Government and for What Duration National Security Education Program Recipients Have Worked” (2013).Dissertations. Paper 509. http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/509

THE NATIONAL SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM AND ITS SERVICE REQUIREMENT: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF WHAT AREAS OF GOVERNMENT AND FOR WHAT DURATION NATIONAL SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM RECIPIENTS HAVE WORKED

I would like to acknowledge everyone who has assisted me throughout my doctoral studies over the years. I would first like to acknowledge my adviser, Dr. Noah Sobe, for agreeing to serve as my adviser and for his patience and feedback during the many courses I took with him and as I completed my dissertation. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Robert Roemer and Dr. David Ensminger for agreeing to serve on my dissertation committee. I truly appreciate all of their time and assistance as I navigated this process!

A very special thanks is due to my friend and colleague Dr. Kevin Gormley at the National Security Education Program for his encouragement dating back to a lunch meeting in Los Angeles in 2009 to our phone conversations and e-mail communications throughout 2010 and 2011 about my project. This dissertation would not have been possible without Kevin’s support and assistance! I also wish to thank the many staff members at the National Security Education Program including Dr. Michael Nugent, Judy Collier, Roy Savoy, Katie Davis, Alison Patz, and Stuart Karaffa for their approval of my project, their time in reviewing my survey instrument and providing valuable feedback at our meeting back in November 2010 and their assistance in launching my survey instrument. I also wish to thank Genie Lomize, Treasurer of the Boren Forum, and Dr. Philip Lyon, Former Executive Director of the Boren Forum, for their support of my dissertation and for Dr. Lyon’s continued support and time to meet at the National Security Education Program Office in November 2010 to review and provide feedback on my survey instrument. A note of thanks is also due to Christopher Powers, Director of the Boren Awards for International Study at the Institute of International Education for answering my e-mail questions about historical program dates. I hope that the National Security Education Program, the Boren Awards for International Study and the Boren Forum will find some value in the results of my dissertation.

I also want to thank all of the National Security Education Program Alumni (Boren Scholars and Boren Fellows) who took time out of their busy schedules to complete my survey instrument!

Additional gratitude is offered to many colleagues in the field of international education who provided resources and feedback as I worked on my dissertation. This list of individuals includes the following: Dr. Gary Rhodes and Dr. Miloni Gandhi from the Center for Global Education at the University of California, Los Angeles for taking time out of their busy schedules to review and provide feedback on my dissertation proposal and survey instrument; Mickey Slind for sending me her personal collection of primary documents related to the early years of the National Security Education Program (they will always have a home in Bury Book International Education Library & Archive); Elizabeth Mandeville for sending me a valuable primary document pertaining to the early years of the National Security Education program; Stephanie Kirmer for taking the time out of her schedule to meet with me and provide a statistics tutorial and for lending me one of her publications as I worked on the data analysis portion of my dissertation; Kyle Flynn for helping me better understand the statistical analysis of my results; and, Dr. Louis Berends for his friendship and support throughout our studies and time at Loyola University Chicago and beyond.

Further acknowledgement and thanks is due to my supervisor Christine Gramhofer at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her support for time off to work to research and write my dissertation was truly helpful and greatly appreciated!

Thank you to my mother Vicky and Sam, father Jim and Mary Ellen, and my mother and father-in-law Therese y Don Carlos for their encouragement and continued support over the years and their enthusiasm as I neared my goal.

Finally, but most importantly, I wish to thank my wife Ana and children Gabriela, Andrés y Lucas for their patience, assistance, support and faith in me. The nights away from the family while attending classes and the days and nights away from them while writing my comprehensive exams and, in particular, this dissertation were truly difficult.

I could not have completed my research without the support of all these wonderful people!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Life post dissertation continues to be crazy and, dare I say, even more so. In the month since I defended (I walk next Thursday, May 9th) I have received a couple of consulting offers, accepted a JSIE submission to review, been asked to facilite some online discussions in advance of a large upcoming international education conference, received an Press invitation to an upcoming international education event that will convene here in Chicago and have fielded vice requests to read my dissertation (Abstract available).

While I have continued to post weekly to IHEC Blog (copy and paste jobs of press releases and embedded videos and conference twitter #hashtag feeds) I spent more time over on Twitter and on IHEC Blog's Facebook page. I find the opportunities to post and connect in these other spaces to be more economical for my time at the moment and I will continue to be more active in these spaces for the near future. Following are some of the tings posted to IHEC Blog's Facebook page and if you are interested in coming along for the ride please feel free to do so at https://www.facebook.com/IHECblog:

- In collaboration with the University of Chicago, on Monday, May 6, the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board will host a public discussion, Fulbright 2.0 – e-Learning, MOOCs, OERs, and the Future: What Does New Technology Mean for Global Education? A panel of experts will explore the evolving role of e-learning technologies in global education and the potential to apply these within the Fulbright Program, including how such innovations can empower Fulbright participants to share knowledge and resources with audiences around the world. The event will be Live Streamed at http://go.usa.gov/4nvF

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals (TAICEP) is a new international professional association that has the single purpose of supporting and serving the profession of international credential evaluation. “The need for education and training of credential evaluation professionals has a global impact, involving professionals worldwide. An international association will facilitate communication and knowledge, as well as strengthen standards,” Steering Committee member Sandy Gault said.

“TAICEP is the only association dedicated solely to the interests and needs of the profession of international credential evaluators. Members will have a place to develop their knowledge and skills, interact with colleagues from around the world and contribute to the professionalism of their field. This organization will work cooperatively with the other associations in so far as their activities relate to the profession and the mission of the association,” Steering Committee member Margit Schatzman said.

A steering committee of professionals came together to take action on ideas that have been discussed among those in the profession for several years. TAICEP is an international association and members from all countries are welcome to join, participate in activities, and take leadership positions.

The steering committee is dedicated to move the association to the next level of involvement by a larger group of people in the field. TAICEP's Steering Committee includes:

The primary goals of TAICEP are to identify and develop theories, methodologies, and best practices used in international credential evaluation and to be an advocate for the profession. The operational principles of TAICEP are collaboration, volunteerism, inclusiveness, and international orientation. A small steering committee of current and former professionals in the field is developing a symposium to be held in October 2013. The symposium will bring together a broader group of professionals to assist in the development of TACIEP that will be open to individuals and interested parties worldwide.

One can become involved in the association by becoming a member, attending the symposium, nominating others to participate in the association, informing colleagues about the association, and by adding ideas to surveys and other forums that will be used to develop the association. Please visit the website to obtain information on becoming a member, friend or a supporter of the association. WWW.TAICEP.ORG

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The following IHEC Blog post is a copy and paste of an e-mail I received from Lisa Heyn, Policy Specialist at the Alliance for International Educational & Cultural Exchange, and it is re-posted with her permission. Please take a moment to review the information and if you support this effort then please take a moment to send a letter as it literally takes less then one minute to submit the templated message the Alliance has prepared if you don't have time to write your own letter!

The Senate State-Foreign Operations appropriations subcommittee will hold its first hearing on FY14 fundingtomorrow (Thursday, April 18th) which is why it is critical that we boost our efforts today and spread our message far and wide via Twitter and letters to Congress!

So far, 161 letters have been sent. While this is a great start, we need to have many more letter sent to lawmakers today, especially to House and Senate appropriators! Our goal is to have at least 500 letters sent by the end of today!

We also need to gather as many Tweets as possible today using the hashtag #ExchangesImpact – please take our message to Twitter and tweet your Members of Congress about the importance of international exchanges, using their individual Twitter handles. For a complete list of Member Twitter handles, refer to these House and Senate lists. Sample tweets are included below for your use.

Thank you for taking action today by tweeting about #ExchangesImpact, and for helping us reach our goal of having at least 500 letters sent to Congress in support of FY14 funding for Department of State exchanges at $625 million.

Sample Tweets

·Support FY14 funding at $625 million for Dept. of State exchanges, a proven and cost-effective PD and smart power tool #ExchangesImpact

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

In honor of the Forum on Education Abroad officially setting their own annual conference #hashtag of #ForumEA13 thought I would post a Twitter search widget so those not in attendance nor on Twitter can follow the back channel from the conference. For those of you attending I look forward to our paths crossing!

Monday, April 1, 2013

The inaugural Diversity Abroad conference started today in Chicago and runs through tomorrow. I wish I could attend but my schedule would not allow for me to attend this conference and the Forum on Education Abroad conference here in Chicago that begins Wednesday and runs through Friday! Those of you going to the Forum conference I hope our paths cross.

While I couldn't attend the Diversity Abroad conference I received in the mail a copy of Charles Gliozzo's article "The International Education of Minority Students" published in Minority Education in 1980. My research has found that Gliozzo's article is the first piece of literature in the field focusing on underrepresentation in study abroad so this is a great addition to my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive!

If you are not on Twitter and you want to follow the backchannel from the Diversity Abroad conference I have embedded the #DiversityConf13 hashtag!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

So far, today has been pretty good. Not only did I receive an e-mail about a potential evaluation/assessment project but I received the following book (hard cover) in the mail (benefit of JSIE Editorial Board membership):The SAGE Handbook of International Higher Education (2012) edited by Darla K. Deardorff, Hans de Wit, John D. Heyl, and the late Tony Adams.

Now that I'll be done with my dissertation (I defend tomorrow and submit final manuscript by April 1st) I will be able to read this book and do a more formal review for IHEC Blog. It will also be a lovely addition to my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive!

Friday, February 22, 2013

In his first official speech at the University of Virginia on Wednesday, February 20th, Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted international exchanges and stated:

We value education, promoting programs like the Fulbright exchanges managed by the Department of State. They enable the most talented citizens to share their devotion to diplomacy and peace, their hopes, their friendships, and the belief that all of the Earth’s sons and daughters ought to have the opportunity to lift themselves up. Today these exchanges bring hundreds of thousands of students to America from other countries, and vice versa. In the last year alone, more than 10,000 citizens of foreign countries participated in the State Department’s academic, youth, professional and cultural exchange programs right here in Virginia. Virginians also studied abroad through State Department programs. Senator Fulbright, at whose hearings I had the privilege of testifying as a young veteran returning from Vietnam, he knew that the value of sharing our proudest values bore fruit in the long run, in the future. He said, “Having people who understand your thought,” he said, “is much greater security than another submarine.”

This thought provoking book challenges international educators and study abroad stakeholders on how and what students are actually learning while studying abroad. The Table of Contents and the link to learn more follows:

PART TWO: FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
3) Using Experiential Theory to Promote Learning and Development in Programs of Education Abroad—Angela Passarelli and David Kolb
4) The Brain, Learning, and Study Abroad—James Zull
5) Paradigmatic Assumptions of Intercultural Learning—Milton Bennett
6) The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI): A New Frontier in Assessment and Development of Intercultural Competence—Mitchell Hammer
7) What Happens When We Take Stage Development Theory Seriously?—Douglas Stuart
8) Anthropology, Intercultural Communication, and Study Abroad—Bruce La Brack and Laura Bathurst
9) The Psychology of Student Learning Abroad—Victor Savicki
10) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Support of Student-Centered Learning Abroad—Jennifer Meta Robinson

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Entertainer and philanthropist will.i.am last Thursday announced a major grant from the 100,000 Strong Foundation to his i.am.boyle heights center to create new opportunities for area students to learn Mandarin and study in China.

The $100,000 contribution is part of an ongoing effort by the 100,000 Strong Foundation - launched by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last month - to strengthen the US-China relationship by expanding and diversifying the number of Americans studying Mandarin and studying in China. will.i.amannounced the 100,000 Strong Foundation gift along with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and students from the Boyle Heights neighborhood of LA at the i.am.angel Foundation's 2013 TRANS4M conference at the California Science Center.

"The partnership between i.am.boyle heights and the 100,000 Strong Foundation will give kids from my neighborhood the opportunity of a lifetime," will.i.am said. "Learning Mandarin and studying in China can be transformative. I am so grateful to the 100,000 Strong Foundation for helping open doors for these bright and talented young people."

Over the next two summers, the 100,000 Strong Foundation gift will send at least 10 students from Theodore Roosevelt High School to China through Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA). It will also help create an after-school Mandarin language program at the i.am.boyle heights center.

"We are thrilled to be working with will.i.am and the i.am.angel Foundation to create new opportunities for Boyle Heights students to learn Mandarin and study abroad," said Carola McGiffert, president of the 100,000 Strong Foundation. "The 100,000 Strong Foundation knows that the future of the US-China relationship rests with our students. They are the leaders of tomorrow who will solve our greatest global challenges."

Said Mayor Villaraigosa: "The city of LA is proud to be a partner of the 100,000 Strong Foundation and to help carry out its very important mission. And as a Boyle Heights native, today's announcement is particularly special. The opportunities created through 100,000 Strong and i.am.angel will arm these students with the cultural understanding, language skills and global experiences to chart our future."

The 100,000 Strong Foundation works with the Confucius Institute at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), which will provide Mandarin language and martial arts classes two days a week starting in September and will offer additional opportunities for Boyle Heights students to study in China under the Chinese government's Bridge Scholarship program.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The responsibility of curriculum internationalization does not rest solely on the faculty nor on the administration; rather internationalization should be defined, reinforced, and supported through a dialogue among faculty, administrators, and staff who are responsible for fostering, encouraging, and implementing global learning and teaching on campuses. If you are faculty, staff, or administrator from a public or private university, research or liberal arts institute, community college, HBCU, TCCU, HSI and any other, you will:

Learn how to internationalize your curriculum and campus

Understand comprehensive internationalization and the importance of collaboration and dialogue

Identify innovative pedagogies, technologies, and best practices

Explore the teaching and assessment of global learning objectives

Examine strategic planning and measurements of institutional success

Become a member of a network of international educators and administrators and much more ...

All participants must join one of two tracks, for the entire institute, that best matches her or his objectives and interests [click track title for description]:

Susan Sutton, Senior Advisor for Internationalization at Bryn Mawr University in Pennsylvania after three decades at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Her philosophy of internationalization emphasizes international dialogue and collaboration.

ICCI 2013 Featured Speaker

Caryn McTighe Musil, Senior Fellow and Director of Civic Learning and Democracy at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Until November 2012, she was the Senior Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global initiatives. She has special institutional expertise in curriculum transformation, faculty development, and assessment with extensive experience in integrating knowledge about global, civic, and U.S. diversity within higher education.

Poster Session – New this year!

A new addition to the ICCI program is a Poster Session, during which individuals or teams can share their course or campus best practices with all ICCI participants. If you would like to be a part of the Poster Session, come prepared to share materials and/or a PowerPoint on your laptop as fellow participants move from table to table.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Earlier this week, IHEC Blog's Facebook page reached 1,000 Followers. Thanks to all who have come along for the ride and for those of you who have yet to join the fun you can certainly do so at https://www.facebook.com/IHECblog.

"We provide a cultural program focused on helping children develop an understanding of what it means to be Latino in a personally relevant way. Our approach focuses on creating a fun and engaging environment where children feel safe acquiring and retaining the Spanish language, as well as gaining an appreciation for the similarities and differences amongst the various Latino cultures. Our goal is to assist in the preservation of the Latino identity, culture and language in young children by sharing rich cultural traditions. The Latino Cultural Academy is in residence at UIC’s Latino Cultural Center."

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Long time readers of IHEC Blog have noticed a variety of changes here over the years. One noticeable change has been in the way I post. Like many, my life is crazy busy. I have a family of three young children, a full-time job, trying to finish my dissertation, on the editorial board of the Journal of Studies in International Education, I edit and publish IHEC Blog as well as manage several related internet properties, and occasionally I try to find some time to relax. As a result, my blog posts have changed over the years and often times I only have enough time to embed a video that may be of interest to readers. I also have significantly decreased the number of times I post to IHEC Blog (from a high of 282 posts in 2009 to 61 posts in 2012). Despite all of this, IHEC Blog had a good year in terms of readership and when analyzing the various analytic tools and data available to me (and factoring out SPAM, bots and other non-interested visitors) it appears to be a worthy endeavor.

If you are interested you can link the top posts of 2011, 2010 and 2009 (didn't produce a list for 2008). You'll notice some overlap between the years with popular posts. Perhaps a Top 10 (or Top 23) all time most popular post compilation is due...but that won't happen until things slow down!

International Higher Education Consulting Blog provides timely news and informational pieces, predominately from a U.S. perspective, that are of interest to both the international education and public diplomacy communities. From time to time, International Higher Education Consulting Blog will post thought provoking pieces to challenge readers and to encourage comment and professional dialogue.

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I currently work as the Assistant Provost for Global Education at Columbia College Chicago. Prior to my position at Columbia College, I worked for seventeen years as Associate Director of International Programs at the Booth School of Business, as Senior Adviser
for International Initiatives in The College and as Assistant Director in the
Office of International Affairs, all at The University of Chicago. I also serve as a Study Abroad Research Consultant for the Center for Global Education at California State University at Dominguez Hills. Additionally, I have taught online for The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

I received my B.A. in Spanish and Latin American
Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, my M.S. in
Family Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and my Ph.D. in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies, Comparative and International Education from Loyola University Chicago.

The opinions expressed are my own, and they do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of my employer.